Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Akiro Iimori

Hiroshi Matsumoto

Fumito Ide

Kazushige Morihara

An image forming apparatus in which the operating program can be changed even after the apparatus is delivered to the customer to perform the control meeting the prevailing status of the apparatus. An image of an original is read and formed by a mechanism, the status of the image forming apparatus is detected by a sensor, a first program for controlling the image forming mechanism is stored in a memory, a second program for controlling the apparatus according to the detected status is requested by a mechanism, the second program is received by and stored in a memory according to the request, and the image forming apparatus is controlled by a mechanism in accordance with the first and second programs.

Image forming apparatus having remote maintenance function and method of

Image forming apparatus having a function of identifying a toner

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit for successively forming an image on each of image forming media respectively corresponding to a first image of a first document and a second image of a second document. The image forming unit of the apparatus idles between the end of the first image forming operation for the first document and the commencement of the second image forming operation for the second document. The apparatus further includes a platen glass for supporting each of the documents, an automatic document feeder for successively setting the first document and the second document onto the platen glass, a detector for detecting an operating condition which the automatic document feeder actuates to set the documents onto the platen glass, and a controller for prohibiting the idling of the operation of the image forming unit when the detector detects the operating condition.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus having a cooling fan, driven at a constant rotational speed while the apparatus is performing a copying operation. The fan changes the rotational speed in accordance with the temperature within the apparatus while the apparatus is in a standby condition. Therefore, the fan makes little noise, without causing a decrease in the operating efficiency of the apparatus which may result from a temperature rise within the apparatus.

A light amount control apparatus contains an exposure lamp, a photo sensor for receiving light from the lamp, an AC power source for applying an AC voltage to the lamp, a CPU for computing an electric power to be supplied to the exposure lamp in accordance with magnifications and optical densities of originals by using the data signal outputted from the photo sensor, a lamp regulator for control an electric power supplied to the exposure lamp by using a value computed by the CPU, and a zero-cross generator for causing the CPU to periodically perform the computation in synchronism with the AC voltage of AC power source applied to the lamp.

Light amount control apparatus

An image forming apparatus is provided with spring clutches designed to transmit a driving force to a chain by being selectively actuated, whereby a document table is allowed to move at first or second speeds in accordance with the travel of the chain. The image forming apparatus has a microcomputer or controller for controlling first and second spring clutches through solenoids. The controller is provided for changing from the first speed to the second speed, while ensuring that the first spring clutch remains actuated for a predetermined time after the second spring clutch has been actuated.

An electrophotographic apparatus is disclosed, which has a transfer unit for transferring a toner image formed on a photoconductive drum onto a paper sheet and a manual paper feeding section for manually feeding the paper sheet to the transfer unit. A manually fed paper detector is provided in the proximity of the outlet of the manual paper feeding section. If the manually fed paper detector does not detect any paper continuously for a predetermined period of time from the start of a copying operation, this event is judged to be due to a paper feeding error, whereupon the copying operation is interrupted while the electrophotographic apparatus is restored to a stand-by state.

Electrophotographic apparatus

A copying apparatus comprises original sheet holder provided with a plane on which an original sheet is to be mounted, exposure system provided with a lens to guide light rays reflected from an impression indicated on the original sheet mounted on the holder to cause the original sheet impression to be focused on a photosensitive layer. A detector for detecting data on an average original density of the original sheet impression denoted by the light rays is set between the photosensitive layer and lens to receive part of the light rays reflected from the original sheet, on a line extending from the center of the lens to the center of that portion of the photosensitive layer which corresponds to the smallest original sheet among those which are to be mounted on the original sheet holder.

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Yokohama, Japan

Akiro Iimori